between summer and winter
by Imaginarivalued
Summary: Honestly, it would be real cute if she wasn't so scary to most everyone else. Based on speculations of the Road to Ninja AU. -HinaNaru
1. evenings

**AN**: Takes place in the speculative AU of the upcoming movie _Road to Ninja_. All sorts of arts have been popping up around the internet with various interpretations and I wanted to try a hand at writing about it, since there doesn't seem to be many fics on the AU. Still adore canon!Hinata, but I think RTN!Hinata can be a very interesting character that hasn't been written to a paste yet. Hence the attempt of this small collection.

**Disclaimer**: Been years since I've given a damn, but the new regime scares me, so, here: I own not the Naruto franchise nor the upcoming movie.

**listening to**: _Lightning_ by _The Wanted_

* * *

For the most part, Hyuuga Hinata knows exactly where Namikaze Naruto is at all times with alarming accuracy.

Officially, it's explained that she's developed, from over a decade of childhood friendship, what could be called 'Naruto Senses' that is modulated by the twitchiness of her nose and the tingling of her toes.

Unofficially, on top of the 'Naruto Senses', she also rules her clan as the hidden overlord, with Neji as her second in command and younger sister Hanabi as secret-uber-colonel, with an iron fist. And in the power of a secret boss, she has set in place a 'Byakugan Network' that was implemented for the main purpose of updating her on Naruto's whereabouts and status when prompted. It is still mostly hearesay, though, as all lower members of the clan are always conveniently absent or mute and deaf whenever inquired about the rumors. Not surprising since the last Hyuuga clan member who was brazen enough to leak information on the dark undercurrents of the power struggle within the clan has apparently developed a severe case of claustrophobia as well as ailurophobia.

When asked, Hyuuga Hiashi, the current clan head and father of the notorious she-devil, shrugged and refused to comment.

Secretly, however, once out of sight the man was doing katas of rejoicing at the prospect of an early retirement.

Another important function of the Byakugan Network, it seems, is also relaying information regarding Naruto's current _company_.

Being a handsome daredevil and the only son of the Yondaime is by no means a turnoff, and there would have been much more offerings of lunch bentos and pink, perfumed, enveloped letters if not for the _absolute intervention_ regardless of time or place.

"_N-Namikaze-san!"_

"_Hm? Oh hey, you're, um…"_

"_It—its's Yamazaki Hanako! I'm, I'm a fan!"_

"_Eh, really? Heheh, that's so nice of you to say! I didn't know I had fans! Hm? Whatcha got there?"_

"_Th-this-this is—that is, p-please accept—"_

_SHUNSHIN!_

"_Hee~ey there, Naruto-kun."_

"_Huh? Oh, hey, Hinata-chan! Check it out! I think I got a fan!"_

"_E-eh! Um…I…!"_

"_Wo~ow, that's so cool, Naruto-kun. Say, do you feel up to training, or are you as gangly as you look?"_

"_Oi, you're talking to the future Hokage here! I'm always up for whatever ya can dish out!"_

"_Hmm, well then, you won't mind being a gentleman and go reserve training ground fourteen for us, would you? It's a bit hot today and the shades will do wonders to keep the sweating down. If you hurry, you can probably still beat the academy release traffic. And don't worry, I packed us lunch."_

"_Wow, thanks, Hinata-chan! I'll get right on it! Oh, wait, I still gotta—"_

"_Don't worry about lil' Yamazaki-san here either. It's Yamazaki-san, right? Of course it is. We just need some time to…discuss. Girl things. You go right on ahead and leave her to me~."_

"_Oh, okay! See you in a bit, Hinata-chan!"_

"_Eh! W-wait, I w-wanted to—"_

"_Hm, looks like we're alone now. Why don't we have that __chat__, Yamazaki-chan~?"_

"_Eeep!"_

And that was just age thirteen.

To this day, Shisui continues to tearfully lament his lost title.

Whatever the case may be, the general consensus remains thus: don't touch Namikaze Naruto, or Hyuuga Hinata _touches_ _you_. _Not_ in the good way. At all.

Now at age of newly seventeen, it is with a cheerful tune from her lips and thoughts of dark violence reserved for those who dare oppose her, Hyuuga Hinata travels down the bustling evening marketplace of Konoha, her Naruto Senses leading her straight to the Ichiraku Ramen stand.

The sound of his energetic voice precedes him, as always.

"—so I was like, 'Hey, ass face! Stop hitting yourself!' and he was like, 'But you're the one hitting me!' and so then I said, 'Au contraire, my not-so-bishounen friend, for you see, I AM YOU!' which was when I had all my shadow clones transform to look like lizard-piranha-people and then he totally passed out in a puddle of his own fear!"

A genuine smile graces her lips as she imagines him gesturing and pantomiming wildly to accommodate his grand tale of adventure and action, while old man Teuchi belly laughs in earnest and Ayame shakes her head in mock exasperation as she scolds him for his lack of decorum and manners and that a future Hokage should watch his language.

In mere moments, Hinata now stands just outside the small stand, pushing away the purple parlor curtains to peek inside and grins at the sight of blonde hair and the characteristic black/orange jumpsuit.

She gives a quick wink and a 'shush' gesture with a finger to her lips towards Ayame, who is one of the not-so-many people who she genuinely likes, and slinks surreptitiously behind the still boisterously storytelling blonde eternal target of hers.

With the efficiency of liquid motion, she anchors herself by his shoulder and just _slips_ into his lap.

"Wh-whoa there!" Naruto gasps, flailing slightly at the sudden lack of personal space and the weight, strands of half-slurped noodles hanging precariously mid-chew.

She smirks and mock gasps. "Why, hello there, Namikaze-sa~an. Please oh please excuse my _rude _interruption. I just simply did not see you there."

He blinks. He takes a moment to inhale the wayward noodles before smirking back. "You know, there _are _empty seats left."

"True," she concedes, grinning. "But," she chirps and plucks the chopsticks out of his hand, "it's easier to steal your food this way."

She proceeds to scoop up the steaming bowl on the counter before them and begins to enjoy her confiscated meal.

"Wah~! Hinata-cha~an! How could you~!" Naruto whines, mock tears streaming down his face as he tucks his chin into the crook of her neck. "That was the best miso ramen I've had in weeks too! You know I was stuck in the lands of the noodle-less savages for days!"

She flushes a little, but doesn't back down from the unspoken challenge and nuzzles his cheek with her nose. "Oh, Naruto-kun. You know I live off of your pain. Besides, what's yours is mine and what's mine is patented."

He huffs, the twinkle in his blue eyes only growing brighter. "But I paid for that with my hard earned money from the mission of saving all of Tea Country and the _beautiful_ princess!"

The response is immediate. He feels her shoulders stiffen just before she mini-whirls on him, ivory-lavender eyes alit with a metaphorical fire.

"Wh-what? I didn't hear about _that_! Neji-nii didn't give me any reports about—where, when was this! How old is she! What does she look like! What kind of little—"

"Easy, easy!" Naruto laughs, smiling broadly, wrapping an arm around her and cutting her off mid-tirade. "I was _joking_, Hinata-chan. Man, you're so easy to rile up!"

She blinks owlishly before a red streak paints her face. She puffs her lower lip in a pout and turns away from him in a huff.

"Aw, don't be like that, Hinata-chan. I just got back from spending _lo~onely_ nights with no company but Sasuke-teme and missing-nin trying to carve me a new one."

"Well, you can get a start on preparing for _another _lo~onely night," she hisses, holding the bowl further away in case of prying hands. "And you can forget about any form of sharing from me."

He just smiles. Slowly, he pulls her back in and plants his lips near the base of her ear. "Don't be mad, Hinata-_hime_. You know you're the only princess for me."

Try as she might, even with the years of practice, she still can't quite keep the burning warmth from crawling _everywhere_.

She meets his vivacious blue eyes now, silently cursing him for being so damn charming.

Naruto smiles broadly, wagging his eyebrows.

With an exasperated laugh that still is not unlike bells, Hinata leans into him. "Stop that, or I might have to call the guards for clearly unethical behavior."

He laughs. "But the~en they'd have to arrest my clearly underdressed accomplice, too."

She wiggles her bottom, and enjoys it when he squirms a little, his ears glowing red.

"Hardly. I'm just keeping you in place for easy detainment. Now here," she says, faux haughtily, and brings the steaming bowl closer to feed him the dangling fishcake. "Before my stone heart stops bleeding."

Naruto bites into the morsel cheekily.

Teuchi shakes his head in mock exasperation as he cooks another batch of noodles and mutters about 'kids these days' while Ayame is busy furiously scribbling into pieces of note papers, hoping to get down an outline for another notch in her romance anthology that she hopes one day to be able to show to the esteemed writer of all genres (but especially ero-ness), Jiraiya of the Sannin.

In the meantime, Hinata smirks and feeds the blonde a piece of tempura. Without the use of chopsticks.

And so dawns another evening in Konohagakure.


	2. mornings, part 1

**AN**: Next chapter, will go back to their early beginnings, as well as start introducing the rest of the Konoha Rookies. Shout outs to Solvdrage, who graciously agreed to be my sounding board, as well as the account-less Mizuouji, for the high praise! Also thanks to everyone who favorited!

**listening to**: _You're all that I have_ by _Snow Patrol_

* * *

The morning sun peeks into her room.

Her eyes snap open.

With a sleepy smile, Hyuuga Hinata sits up in her futon and stretches her lethargy away.

Kicking off the blankets, she bounces towards the vanity mirror, combs through her lustrous black hair, and checks her skin. Satisfied, she blows a kiss to the nearby picture of one Namikaze Naruto before throwing off her tank-top. Browsing through her wardrobe with a thoughtful frown, she eventually decides upon a sports-bra-like mesh shirt and blue short shorts. Why mess with success, after all?

She grabs her lavender jacket before she closes the door.

Moments later, the sliding door to the dining room snaps loudly to the side.

"Mornin', everyone~," Hinata greets with a broad, cocky grin.

Hyuuga Hiashi grunts, engrossed in the morning papers.

Hyuuga Hizashi smiles. "Good morning, Hinata-sama."

Hyuuga Neji gives a muffled greeting through a mouthful of meat buns.

Hyuuga Hanabi waves excitedly. "Mornin', Ane-sama~!"

"Good morning, Hinata-chan," Hyuuga Kiyoko responds with a gentle smile. "There's a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, just the way you like it."

"Thank you, Kaa-chan," she says as she slips into her seat, and takes a huge gulp of her drink.

She sighs in content. "That was refreshing," she exhales, before her gaze sharpens. "Neji-taichou!"

The mentioned young man immediately stands at attention.

Hanabi, though not prompted, does the same, grinning excitedly.

"What's the current situation with the Old Ones?"

Neji straightens his back. "Hyuuga Isao continues to decline negotiations, and has evidently been having secret rendezvous with several of the other elders."

Hinata frowns. "Hmph, contemptuous old faggots. What about the Branch House?"

"Your support within the Brach House as of now reaches nearly the ninety percentile. The undecided have all but vanished."

Hinata nods, arms crossed. "The rest are just scared, but, they'll come around eventually. As for the old crones…"

Her smile is that of a predator. A dark, unrestrained predator. "They need to le~arn. Neji-taichou, cut off all their supplies of their favorite brand of prune juice and herbal tea! And make sure sprained hips are the least of their _accidents_."

Neji nods with gusto. "Understood!"

Hanabi's eyes sparkle with admiration.

But Hinata grins darker still. "As I recall, Isao has a grandson who is hoping to enter the chuunin exams this year, is that correct?"

Neji nods his affirmative, before his eyes widen. "Hinata-sama?"

"Remember, Neji-taichou," the Hyuuga heiress chirps, a dark aura radiating from her smirk. "When a man has a child, that man will _never_ be _free_."

Neji takes a moment to absorb this, before nodding resolutely. "I understand, Hinata-sama."

Hanabi is busy taking notes.

Kiyoko smiles and refills her daughter's cup.

Hiashi flips the page.

As if on cue, Hinata blinks as her nose suddenly starts twitching. "Oh, Naruto-kun is almost awake! Neji-taichou! Report!"

"Affirmative," Neji responds, and speaks into his earpiece. "Unit Eleven, report! I see. Good." He turns to his superior. "Hinata-sama, it seems Namikaze-sama has returned from his mission and is currently staying over at the Namikaze household."

"Probably visiting for the weekends," Hinata affirms with a smile. Rising to her feet with a broad smirk she declares, "All right then, let's wrap this up! You have your orders, Neji-taichou! Uber-Colonel Hanabi! What is your mission!"

Now standing at attention, Hanabi cheerful exclaims, "To continue maintaining a high grade average at the academy as well as a friendly, proper social circle that is befitting of my station!"

Hinata nods, crossing her arms. "For what purpose?"

"To be seen but not be heard! To maintain a constant surveillance on allies as well as foes! So that when the time is right, to be able to support the friends from the shadows and tear down the enemies from within without leaving nary a trace!"

Hinata nods, smiling proudly. "Good! Meeting adjourned!" She then downs the rest of her orange juice and opens the sliding doors to the garden.

"Be back by ten," Hiashi calls out, eyes still glued to the morning papers.

"No promises, Tou-sa~an," Hinata chirps, bouncing over to give her father a quick kiss on the cheek, and waves to her mother and uncle. "Don't wait up~!"

"Be careful, Hinata-chan," Kiyoko says with a gentle wave and smile.

Hizashi nods, smiling, and takes another sip of his tea.

"Bye~, Ane-sama!" Hanabi waves.

Hinata grins her acknowledgement, and with a sprint, she cleanly leaps over the tall compound walls and performs shunshin in midair.

Neji and Hanabi both excuse themselves from the table, each energized by the morning meal and looking forward to their respective tasks.

Kiyoko refills both her husband and her brother-in-law's teacups before excusing herself to attend to the garden. The cherry blossom trees will be exceptionally beautiful this year.

The Hyuuga twins sit in comfortable silence.

Hiashi flips a page. "Huh. The Akimichi clan is throwing a big Spring Cleaning discount at all their retail stores this week."

Hizashi sips his tea. "You don't say."

* * *

Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure, is arguably a happy man.

That is not to say, of course, that he has not suffered. Some days have been dark, filled with blood and tears; times have been bleak, with dark claws chasing and no light at the end of the tunnel; he has seen both life in death and death in life in a perpetual cycle of merciless irony and cruel comedy. And as was the case with all his heroic predecessors, he too faces the pancreatic cancer that is paperwork on a daily basis.

But he has persevered in the face of all that. Now, the morning sun warms his beloved village; he sits in his quaint, spacey kitchen, reading the morning papers while his kind, beautiful wife is making him her award winning banana waffles; his son—his pride and joy—is visiting for the weekends and will soon awake to greet both of them in his always energetic and uplifting spirit.

So, yes, he is a happy man.

Now, if only his son's not-girlfriend would start using the front door.

With a squeak, the kitchen window pops open and the Hyuuga heiress climbs in with a swoosh.

Upon touching ground, she gives a bright, grand smile.

"Hyuuga Hinata is here to greet a wondrous good morning to you both, Hokage-sama, Kushina-sama," she says in a cheerful voice complete with sugary sweet smile and a dainty bow.

Sure, he can call mental bullshit, but in all honesty, he's just thanking the stars she's polite to them. The smile comes naturally at that thought. "And a good morning to you too, Hinata-san."

Kushina beams, setting down a plate of toasts before her husband. "Good morning, Hinata-chan. I think Naru-chan might still be asleep. He just got back late last night from a mission. Would you like to join us?"

Hinata smiles back. "No thank you, Kushina-sama. I already ate at the compound. And don't worry about Naruto-kun, I'll go wake him now~!"

Before either parental unit could intervene, the girl is already by the stairs.

_Well, Lady Amaterasu help my son, who I dearly love_, Minata thinks as he watches his son's not-girlfriend disappear up the stairs.

To this day, he's still not entirely certain how his son can refrain from flying into a rage whenever the male populace ogles the Hyuuga heiress, who shows enough skin to almost defeat the purpose of clothing, at great frequency. Well, supposedly the threats of castration from the girl herself might play a factor, but it's not an absolute deterrent.

Oh, well. At least Jiraiya-sensei approved. Immensely.

"Anata~?"

Oh, crap. That was the sound of an annoyed wife. Did he stare too long, again?

He turns to see the rigid smile and pulsing cranial artery and knows that he is looking at the preliminary stage of the Bloody Habanero.

Kushina leans a little closer, her hair seemingly fanning unseen flames. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but did you want a side dish of divorce papers to go with your waffles?"

Well, a Hokage has to do what a Hokage has got to do.

Not for the first time, Namikaze Minato grovels with expertise.

* * *

She doesn't knock, knowing that such an act has never been remotely useful. Naruto has always been a heavy sleeper at home, and doesn't make a habit of reinforcing his old room with seals.

She slips in, closing the door quietly behind her.

She smiles, genuine and happy, at the sight of the messy sleeper snoring into his pillow, the curtains open, silver rays painting his unruly hair and whiskered face in a golden hue.

The blonde is the only person she knows who can sleep through the morning sunlight combing through him so. Then again, she doesn't have the knowledge of sleeping habits of many other people, and is determined to keep it that way. The only important one is before her anyhow.

With a small squeak of the mattress, she settles on the bed, and leans over the sleeping young man.

Her long hair drapes over both of them, like a curtain that enshrouds them in a world entirely of their own. She smiles at the thought.

"Naruto-ku~un…" she whispers, a smaller but equally sweet smile upon her lips. "Time to wake u~up."

Naruto mumbles in his sleep with a smile, and she giggles, guessing it's something about ramen he's dreaming of.

"…_mm_~, _Hinata-chan_…"

For a moment, she thinks he's awake, but knows otherwise when the young man snuggles his pillow closer.

"…_you're so friggin' prettiful, Hinata-hime_…"

…wow, when did the world catch on _fire_?

She briefly wonders what her expression is right now but that thought gets quickly buried into the swirl of oblivion that is her state of mind.

Her mind mostly a blank, she stares at his blonde locks, at his tanned, whiskered cheeks, at his _very inviting_ lips.

Slowly, steadily, she leans further, and further in…

…until she tastes sunshine made manifest.

"…_mm_~, _oranges_…"

Before she knows it, he's forgone his pillow to wrap his arms around her shoulder and back, pulling her down to him and suckles her neck.

She decides she quite _enjoys _it.

Somehow, the sound of her enjoyment stirs him, and slowly, Namikaze Naruto opens his eyes to the sight of flushed, pearly skin and the feel of dark, silky hair.

"Bwuh?" he blinks rapidly, his hold slackening. "H-Hinata-chan?"

She tucks strands of hair behind her ear, still smiling dreamily. "Good mo~orning, Naruto-kun…"

He blinks a few more times before smirking. "Hey, now, is this a morning wake-up call?"

She laughs softly, and leans in until they are nose to nose. "More like, service in bed."

He flushes, but his grin widens and he cups her cheek and brings her—

"_Ahem_."

Both of them freeze instantly, and _slowly_, turn towards the door.

Kushina stares with a wry grin. "Naru-chan, I know you're on the verge of becoming a man and everything, but your waffles are getting _cold_."

"Wah~, Kaa-chan!" Naruto blushes wildly and pulls the blankets over his head, and soon forms a Naruto-esque ball.

"Hmm," Kushina grins, staring at Hinata, who at this point found something very interesting just outside the window. "Well, since Naru-chan is awake now, I expect the two of you to be down within _five minutes_. Understand?"

"Hai~, Kushina-sama~," Hinata responds, finally meeting the older woman's eyes.

A muffled grunt resonates within the ball of wool and flustered teenager.

With an amused shake of her head, Kushina walks out of sight, but leaves the door _open_.

Hinata stares blinkingly at the open door for a few moments, before Naruto peeks out from under the blankets.

Their eyes meet.

Both flushing, they smile broadly at each other.

And so begins another morning in Konohagakure.


	3. mornings, interlude

**AN**: Apparently when I said early beginnings, I meant _very _early beginnings_._ I'm not entirely certain what the setting is in _Road to Ninja_, but I think it'd be better if Naruto is still the jinjuriki of the Kyuubi. Wouldn't be Naruto if he isn't, after all. That means explanations are due, though, and so I make mine.

**Warning**: Slight use of the eff word.

**listening to**: _Ruler of Everything_ by _Tally Hall_

* * *

_Oh, when have things become so __different?_ Kushina laments as she quietly watches the proceedings at the breakfast table.

Minato is hiding behind the papers, still somewhat cowed from earlier.

Naruto, who always did have the ability to recover from any embarrassing situation within minutes, now happily chows down on his waffles.

Hinata is sitting next to her son's left, shoulders touching, as she apparently somehow glued their chairs together. As usual, the girl seems to put in much effort in eliminating all sense of personal space with Naruto.

Oh, it seems only just yesterday when she would take her baby boy on grocery shopping trips, buying him new, adorable clothes, pushing him on the swings, and many more things that make her sigh with nostalgia.

Now, her baby boy is apparently on the verge of engaging in the acts of procreation himself. Where has all the time gone?

And Hinata, her darling boy's not-girlfriend. What happened to dear, sweet, little Hinata? Well, granted, she is still very sweet, just extremely narrow in her choice of beneficiaries for that sweetness, as if she's concentrating all the remaining kindness and affection she's ever had for maximal efficiency. In that aspect, she supposes her son is a lucky sod indeed.

But still, there was a time when the girl dressed prim and proper, often looking like a Hina doll that was just begging to be kidnapped and cuddled. Er, not that she ever thought of making off with another's child without permission.

_Sigh_, where has all the time gone?

"_Oi, Tou-chan?"_

"_Yeah, Naruto?"_

"_Is Kaa-chan okay? She's kinda spacing out."_

"_Oh, she's probably just lamenting or having a flashback. People do that often when they get older."_

"_Hm, okay then. Hey, Tou-chan, can you help with these?"_

"_Naruto…you really should learn to eat a little healthier."_

"_I'll help, Naruto-kun!"_

"_Heheh, thanks, Hinata-chan~!"_

"_Naruto…"_

"_But Tou-chan~…"_

"_Oh, all right. Quick, before your mother notices."_

She thinks back to the very first moment when she held her Naru-chan in her arms.

The pain had been tremendous, both from giving birth as well as the overwhelming force that was the Kyuubi's rage. But it was _worth_ it, to finally be able to meet her darling son in person.

Of course, Murphy's Law always chooses the best times to kick into effect.

The seal was rupturing.

Try as they did, not even Minato could contain a bijuu without a properly working seal, and she had been too exhausted, too weak to hold back the tsunami that was the Kyuubi's power.

They had contingencies for such a situation, though, and one of them was the lethal injection lying just within her sight. No matter how horrifying the thought may have seemed, she understood. For the good of the village. For the good of her _home_.

But Minato was not one to suffer loss when he had the power to combat it. If the equation was unbalanced, he looked for ways to tip the scales in his favor, adding variable where no variables should be. He had his own contingencies.

One of the ways was the Shiki Fujin.

The other, was an _even numbered doubly configured matrix seal_. Or in simpler terms, a transfer seal.

It was something Minato developed after researching Konoha records as well as Kumo and their sealing endeavors of the Hachibi. It would stabilize the rupturing seal while transferring the contents to that of the other complete, secure seal, circumventing the need to call upon the Shinigami for forceful imprisonment. It was, in all essence, an improved version of the sealing technique used to transfer the Kyuubi from Mito-baachan to herself even further back in the day.

Naturally, the designated recipient of that other seal would be Naruto. It was the reasonable, logical choice.

She had refused outright.

Minato had pleaded with her, near well damn screamed at her to allow him to save her.

But it would have been at the cost of Naruto's future.

Her darling, baby boy would be branded a jinjuriki, and his body and fate, so to speak, would be sealed. He would be seen as a monster by all those around him, and those who didn't, would either be incapable of understanding him, or see him as nothing but a source of power, a weapon. And that thought was simply _unbearable_.

So she would rather die, dragging down the Kyuubi down with her, even if only temporarily. She would die willingly, gladly, to save her son from that burden, the cruel fate that awaited the branded and cursed life of a human sacrifice.

She had been ready to die. Her life for the good of her son. It was a fair trade.

He cried then.

Holding their newborn son in his shaky arms, kneeling before her, Minato cried.

It was then she knew that the man before her was not the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha. Strong men can cry, for those strong in character can also find strength in their tears. But the Hokage is not a man. The Hokage is a symbol of the village. A symbol of power, hope, and the Will of Fire. A Hokage is the embodiment of everything that inspires and invigorates in the people, shinobi and civilians alike, whom form the very village they call _home_. A Hokage does not cry.

So, no. The man before her then was not the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha, but Namikaze Minato. The love of her life; the protector of her smiles; the father of her _son_. Their darling, baby son.

_I know this sounds selfish to you. But, __please__. I can't do this alone. I can't do this without you, Kushina. Naruto will need his mother, somewhere down the road. I can't replace you, no one can. I know…I know Naruto will be strong. He's your son. He's __our__ son. But…but even strength can be buried if not properly nurtured and wielded. Raising a child may take a village, but it also absolutely needs a __mother__. He needs you, Kushina. __I need you__. __**Please**__._

What could she have said?

So it was through a curtain of tears that she watched Minato draw up the seal in speeds that didn't even allow her the chance for regret.

The markings upon the baby Naruto pulsed an ethereal blue.

Minato brought their son to her then, and she cradled the lively crying infant to her as her own seal resonated with the same ghostly glow.

The family of three huddled together in tears and light, as the seal did their work. Waves of chakra with the color of flames and blood passed from mother to son, and the cycle of a manmade curse and tragedy continued.

But even so, they were Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato, and they have never, and never will, lie down and surrender.

They embraced their child.

As if aided by an unseen force, their thoughts had synchronized.

_Forgive us, dear Naruto. Forgive us for not being strong enough. But it's okay. If no one else in the world will love you, we will love you a thousand fold._

And to the seal, to the being that was caged within, they stared.

_Do not test us. If you fuck with **our son**, we will fuck with _**_you_**_._

She likes to think that the message kept, because even now, long after Naruto had personally met his inmate and reluctant partner, there have been no significant troubles to come about.

And perhaps her prayers had been heard and answered, by something or someone, for Naruto is far from alone and unloved. He is constantly surrounded by the smiling faces of his precious people, and continues to carry that positive energy wherever he goes with passion and action, to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, to give hope to those who have given up, whether they liked it or not.

She has never been happier to have been wrong.

That's right. Why think of all the dark, bleak _could have's_ and _what if's_, when one can focus on the bright _could be's_ and _would be's_, instead?

Just because her darling son is now tall and strong, doesn't mean he's no longer her baby boy. And just because her baby boy is starting to become all grown up, doesn't mean that's the end of the _kawaii_ and _moe _moments. Actually, there's only potentially so much more of those types of snapshot moments to come, if the scene she stumbled upon earlier is any indication, because now she can look forward to—

"Grandkids!" Kushina blurts ecstatically, chair and table shuffling loudly as she rockets to her feet in excitement.

The other three immediately fall into a cautious silence. Minato and Hinata blink particularly owlishly, while Naruto takes a few more seconds to catch on, a nervous dread creeping across his face.

Finally noticing the assortment of stares, Kushina sweatdrops and laughs awkwardly, before going on to grab a fruit. "Eheheh, I mean, mango?"

Naruto carves the very expression that conveys _bullcrap_.

Minato seems to have recovered first, and after genius mental processing, deems her outburst not due to an unpleasant train of thought, and gives her a smile and a thumbs-up.

Kushina, sensing camaraderie in her husband, grins back, before she notices the light green chunk between his teeth and the empty plate in front of Naruto. "Anata~!" she growls.

Minato stiffens for a moment, before quickly chewing the piece of vegetable and swallowing nervously, giving her a sheepish smile. Next to Naruto, Hinata does the same.

Kushina gawks in disbelief. "Minato-kun! Hinata-chan! You two spoil Naru-chan too much! At this rate we'll never get him to eat his veggies until all of us are senile!"

"But Kaa-chan~!" Naruto whines. "Veggies are for kids~!"

"What do you think you are, young man? Do you know of any other seventeen year olds who can't even eat _cucumbers_!"

Naruto pouts. "C'mon! Cucumbers are for facials! I've seen you and Tou-chan on Sundays!"

Minato hangs his head in shame.

"To be fair, Kushina-sama," Hinata interrupts, smirking. "Naruto-kun does like _oranges~_."

Kushina and Minato blink in confusion while Naruto coughs into his fist, slightly flushed.

"Anyway," Naruto huffs, crossing his arm, "it's not a big deal. I eat plenty of greens."

Kushina's hair seems to glow red as she frowns. "Ramen with vegetables does _not _count! That defeats the entire purpose of vegetables! You're probably already fiber deficient with all that junk food you eat outside of your ramen runs! Not to mention those nasty food rations for missions! I'm surprised you're not going purple with constipation! And another thing…!"

The three of them simply sit and endure the tirade that is Kushina's lecturing mode, which all mothers seem to have in one form or another.

As Kushina continues to lecture, the three of them share looks and faint smiles.

Below the dining table, they bump fists.

And so goes another breakfast at the Namikaze household.

* * *

–the mango thing is a Japanese play on words.


	4. mornings, part 2

**Visit**: orin . deviantart com (slash) # (slash) d52wa9r

**AN and Warning**: Okay, so problem. This chapter kind of comes out from the left field, and more or less lacks coherency, even in the narrative. Heck, I'd say this is near darn crackish. I wanted to introduce all the Konoha Rookies, but also be funny about it, except I think I went overboard and forgot the genre, and now I'm not even sure if it's romantic or funny at all. I became influenced by a lot of different ideas and fan arts, and the potential plot threads just kept on increasing and increasing and ugh. Also, because there're no concrete characterizations of these AU versions of the characters, when I started speculating, I kinda got overwhelmed and went a little crazy with exaggeration. I think I'll likely delete this later or move it somewhere else, if people find it too weird and conflicting when it's supposed to be just a small collection of romantic slice of life one-shots.

* * *

...

* * *

Just as Kushina is about to go into her second wind, Minato decides to answer his son's silent plea and end her tirade early, by taking the chance between her breaths to give her a not-so-chaste kiss. It has the desired effect, and he holds her for a few moments, both of them smiling warmly, before giving a quick farewell and teleporting away to his office to resume his eternal battle with paperwork.

The red haired woman stares at the space where her husband just stood in, a little dreamy smile on her face. Upon noticing the two teens smirking at her, Kushina blushes and shoos them out of the kitchen so that she can clean up.

The two teens are laughing as they step out of the kitchen, until Naruto blinks when Hinata sends him a coy look and he looks at the clock.

Oh, it's about Time.

He nods to her, and they walk towards to front entrance, whereupon Hinata notices the disheveled state of his shirt and track coat and starts fussing over him despite his protests.

Naruto blinks when a cheeky Kushina peeks out from the kitchen.

"_Babies_~," Kushina mouths from behind Hinata, completely without subtlety and decorum now that the Namikaze matriarch has latched onto the very idea.

He has to fight hard to keep the blush down as he carefully studies Hinata's expression as she fixes his coat collar.

She doesn't have her byukugan active, so she couldn't have seen his mother being so darn blatant, but she also very well should have heard, given the way his mother forgot how to be a sneaky ninja. Her face gives nothing away, though, so she either really didn't notice, or she's not at all affected unlike himself, a thought that makes him slightly…irritated.

He shoots his mother a 'cut it out' look and the woman gives him a slightly condescending smirk before ducking back into the kitchen.

He looks back down, and blinks upon noticing the questioning look in the Hyuuga girl's eyes.

He smiles, reassuringly.

Hinata simpers and tucks her head under his chin briefly, making him slightly dizzy with the scent of vanilla, before strutting towards the entrance, hips swaying, and winks suggestively before closing the door behind her.

Naruto exhales sharply, shaking to clear his head and the goofy grin on his face.

After a quick glance at the kitchen, he runs up stairs and into his room, ready to break out the Naruto's Big Toolbox of Fun.

Before he can properly pack the assortment of goodies, a knock echoes from downstairs, followed shortly by the sound of his mother's exclamations of 'please wait a moment'.

Downstairs, Kushina opens the door and finds herself pleasantly surprised.

Haruno Sakura, apprentice to Tsunade of the Sannin and part time teammate of Naruto, smiles brightly and gives a polite bow. "Good morning, Namikaze-san."

Kushina smiles back, and reaches out to take the pinkette's hands as a gesture of welcome. "Oh, Sakura-chan! It's been a while! It's so good to see you—"

And instead finds her hands held in larger, more decorated hands.

Uchiha Sasuke smiles, a true bishounen smile with sparkling, pristine white teeth and deep, alluring, dark chocolate eyes, and a background framed by pink stars and complex floral arrangements.

Kushina blinks.

The dark haired heartthrob brings her hands closer to his face, as if to kiss them. "Kushina-san, a grand morning to you. And may I just say that Naruto-baka has a _very_ pretty older sister."

The Namikaze matriarch smiles patiently, extricating one of her hands to give her son's friend a pat on the head, making him sweatdrop a little. "Good morning to you, too, Sasuke-kun! How is Mikoto-chan doing?"

"Kaa-san is doing fine," Sasuke replies, still smiling, and steps back next to Sakura, rather closely. "She talks about you often, saying she misses getting together."

"It's been so long since I've talked to Mikoto-chan," Kushina laments, before setting her sights on Sakura again. "Oh, that's right! I have something I wanted to give to Mebuki-chan! Sakura-chan, since you're here, would you mind taking it to your mother for me?"

Sakura shakes her head. "Not at all, Namikaze-san. I'd be happy to."

Kushina opens the door wider. "Come in then! And Sakura-chan," she mock scolds, causing the girl to giggle, "none of that Namikaze-san business. I haven't turned into anyone's father yet!"

"Hai, Kushina-san," Sakura replies, smiling as she excuses herself when walking in.

The red haired woman turns around to find her son, somewhat gaping from the base of the stairs. "Naru-chan, your teammates are here," she informs, blinking when the boy does not response except with a twitching eyebrow.

She shrugs, figuring her son is just going through one of his episodes, and leads Sakura into the living room while leaving Sasuke near the still open door to chat with her son.

"Hey," Sasuke greets, winking a brief shooting star, apparently mildly indiscriminate in terms of targets, "what's up, Naruto-baka? Someone stole your instant ramen stash?"

"Did you…" Naruto looks around the entrance and up the stairs, feebly searching for something that would allow him the knowledge to proceed. "Did you just…_hit on Kaa-chan_?"

Sasuke contemplates this, and gives a handsome shrug. "_No?"_

Well, that certainly isn't reassuring. At all. This conclusion reflects in Naruto's expression as the very portrait of incredulity. "_You just made a pass at my mother._"

Sasuke flashes what he hopes is a disarming bishounen smile. "What can I say? Kushina-baasan has got it going on."

Naruto tries speaking, but what come out are wet popping noises.

Apparently, the Uchiha doesn't know when to stop. "Well, it's probably for the best that you hear it from a friend. Kushina-baasan is kinda totally hot. And it's not like I'm the only one! Lots of guys think so!"

Naruto doesn't look comforted in the least. In fact, he might have lost motor function in his jaw, the way he is gaping.

"And it's not like I'm going to do it often—I mean, again! I'm never doing it again!" Holding his tense smile for a few moments longer, Sasuke holds out a fist. "We cool?"

Naruto looks at the extended gesture of peace offering, then back to the eyes of his best buddy since heaven knows how long.

Slowly, he raises a fist…

…and slugs Sasuke right in the face.

* * *

.

* * *

Through a viewing scope, Neji watches as Sasuke stumbles back from the impact, and speaks into his earpiece. "Unit Six, Phase One of _Operation Fun on a Bun_ has just initiated. Have the targets started moving?"

"_Affirmative, Beta One, the Crones have left the building."_

"Good. Stay out of sight and out of the way, the Horde and the Bugmeister will take care of the Crones. Sortie with Units Four through Nine and begin preparations for Phase two."

"_Copy that, Beta One. If we may ask, in what form has Phase One taken place?"_

Neji watches as Sasuke uppercuts Naruto into a tree. "Probably as a communitywide fist fight."

"_Well, damn skippy."_

* * *

_._

* * *

"Imma gonna kick your ass, Teme!"

The Uchiha stammers, clutching at his bruised cheek in horror. "M-my face! You hit my _face_! My beautiful _face_!"

"I'm also gonna rearrange your teeth, dattebayo! Prepare to become Uchiha the Bucktooth Sasuke-teme!"

Sasuke lunges back, eyes burning with fury. "MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!"

* * *

"_He's so adorable!" Mikoto gushes over baby Naruto, who cutely reaches for her fingers._

"_I know," Kushina smiles, happy that her friend had quickly accepted her dear baby son. "Thank you, Mikoto-chan. I mean it, thank you so much—"_

_The Uchiha woman interrupts with a knowing smile and a caring hand. "I know, Kushina-chan. I know. I just wish I had done more for you."_

_Kushina grins back. "What you're doing is more than enough. Oh, look! Little Sasu-chan wants to play!"_

_Indeed, the baby Sasuke is staring at the equally infant Naruto with curious eyes._

_The two mothers move closer to each other, allowing their respective sons to interact. _

_The two of them spend a couple minutes regarding each other with curiosity, but eventually reach for the other with giggly smiles._

_The two young mothers coo and gush with abandon. _

"_Oh, my goodness!" Mikoto exclaims, as baby Sasuke and baby Naruto somehow form a baby brofist._

_The two mothers smile impossibly wide._

"_They're going to be best friends for life," Kushina says, blue eyes shimmering. "I just know it."_

* * *

Naruto tosses Sasuke through a brick wall.

He climbs through the dusty hole, intent on some follow-up blows, but instead flies backwards as Sasuke donkey-kicks him out from within the rubble.

Naruto growls and lunges back in, and the two enter a close-quarter struggle of jabs and grapples that neither one could get the advantage in, until Sasuke finally gets a solid grip on Naruto's coat collar and shoulder throws him over a fence, and gives chase.

* * *

.

* * *

Inuzuka Kiba stretches languidly atop one of the neighborhood ceramic-cement walls that usually serves as a gathering grounds for the feline community, of which he is a member.

"Really, that's what went on?" Kiba laughs, grooming himself as he converses with a group of cats of varying colors.

"Meow~."

"Then what happened?"

"Meow, meow, meow."

"Wait, Hana! ? As in, Hana-neesan! ? But, sh-she told me she's not dating anyone!"

"Meow~."

"That's just like her," Kiba grouses, "always never telling me anything. How am I supposed to protect her virtue from crummy skirt-chasers if she always keeps me out of the loop! ?"

"Meow, meow."

"Yeah, I know she can take care of herself. But I still want to make sure she's safe. She's my only big sister, you know?"

"Meow, meow, meow, meow."

"Thanks, you guys, that means a lot to—"

The small group of assorted cats all shriek and hiss and scatter as the wall below them sort of explodes and Kiba is sent flailing into a tree.

Naruto and Sasuke tumble along, kicking and punching, and leaving a trail of dust and rubble as they storm across the backyards of multiple households and closer towards the Nara compounds.

Kiba grips onto the branch for dear life. "Meow~! I can't get down, nya~!"

* * *

.

* * *

Shikaku moves the rook. "Now, when the king is threatened with capture and there are no ways to mitigate that threat, the game is then over. With experienced players, most of the times the players are able to anticipate this several moves ahead and move along to the next game and whatnot, but in official tourneys, the victor has to call—"

"Bingo!"

"No, Shikamaru, not _bingo_, it's—"

"Yahtzee!"

"NO."

"Uno?"

"Shikamaru—"

"I sunk your battle ship!"

Shikaku pinches the bridge of his nose, desperately trying to fight off a headache. This truly is a conundrum. He's seen his son in battle, and the lad is a battlefield genius. It's as if the warlords of days past bestowed ancient years of battlefield wisdom to the young Nara in times of crisis to turn the tide of the fight and snatch victory from the depths of defeat. But once out of battle…

Shikamaru starts juggling the pieces.

Shikaku sighs. Maybe he's trying too hard. The boy is doing well enough, and it's not like his friends won't look out for him. Still, a Nara who doesn't know how to play shoji…

Shikamaru starts spinning the pieces like tops and flick them at each other.

Struggling to keep his voice down, the elder Nara says, "Pay attention, Shikamaru, you should know this by now. It's not bingo, yahtzee, and definitely not anything about battleships. You say—"

"_KUSO KURAE_!"

Shikaku blinks. "Well, I suppose you could say that, but that's rather rude—"

He stops, seeing the blank look on his son's face, and soon a collective sound of cries and wails tells him that something is spooking the herd, which is doubly confirmed when the trembling quakes that precedes a stampede rattles the very shogi pieces and teacups set between them.

Before the father-son pair could react, the wooden fence topples over as two giant bucks plow through with their antlers and charge through the Nara living quarters, with Naruto and Sasuke riding each of them as if they are rabid warhorses.

Shikaku blinks at the sight of destruction and mayhem and the beginnings of an uncontrolled deer chase just out of sight. "What the fu—"

* * *

.

* * *

_Don_. Goes the sound of the bamboo water fountain.

Hyuuga Hiashi sips his tea, alone on the patio facing the zen garden.

A wind passes gently, and the clan head breathes a relaxed breath.

He blinks. There's something approaching. Loudly.

Stone faced, Hiashi watches as Naruto and a Uchiha lad ride in on two giant deer with antlers the size of watermelon carts to trample across the Hyuuga zen garden, running to and from in random erratic directions. His clansmen are mostly screaming, flinging themselves out of harm's way, whether it's into ponds or spiky shrubbery.

"HeyHiashi-jijiit'sbeenawhilesorryIcan'tstayandchatbutI'mkickingasstalklaterbye~!"

The departure is almost as sudden as its intrusion, leaving nothing but the quiet winds and the aftermath of vast property damage and bewildered clansmen.

_Don_.

After taking a final sip of his tea, Hiashi stands to his full height, briefly activates his byukugan, and nods.

He rolls his shoulders as he goes into the kitchen for a snack.

* * *

.

* * *

"Ch-Chouji-kun!"

The addressed Akimichi looks back at the mention of his name, carrying two giant bags of wheat in both arms, and smiles, waiting for the girl to catch up. "Ino-chan. How are you doing this morning?"

Shortly, Yamanaka Ino catches up and falls into stride, hugging a three-layered bento set wrapped up in a pink cloth to her chest.

"I'm doing fine, thank you!" she replies cheerfully, a small tint of red on her cheeks, obscured by her golden bangs. "A-are you helping out at the stores?"

"Yep," Chouji confirms, smiling kindly, and shuffles the bags slightly to rearrange his grips. "We're having a big Spring Cleaning discount for all the shops soon, so we have to start stocking up just in case the demands get crazy. I'd imagine you'll be busy with the flower shop soon enough, as well?"

Ino snaps out her reverie from admiring the Akimichi's tall stature, broad shoulders, muscular arms, and the stern but kind face, _ahem_, and nearly stutters out, "Y-yes! Kaa-san is especially excited since we just got a rare shipment of flower seeds from Kumo. They're very beautiful."

Chouji smiles, the morning sun framing his face. "That's great! I'll definitely come over sometime today to have a look!"

Ino stares for a few moments, before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. She stares down at the lunch bentos. The ones she got up very early in the morning to make.

"Um," she begins, face turning red. "Ch-Chouji-kun?"

"Hm? Yes, Ino-chan?"

"I was wondering that, maybe, would you—I mean, I m-made these this morning and I was w-wondering—"

The very street seems to tremble, interrupting the Yamanaka girl and causing the pair to blink and look behind them.

Travelling at extreme speeds, two giant Nara bucks race across the street toward them in parallel, with their blonde and dark haired riders furiously trying to kick the other off and smash into the ground.

"Eeep!" Ino squeaks as the distance between her and the giant animals shortens quickly.

"Ino! Watch out!" Chouji shouts and throws the two bags of wheat at the charging creatures, disrupting their gait and making them rocket into the air.

As their rides went flying, Naruto and Sasuke lose their holds and the sudden jerk-to-a-stop sends them up in the air at a long-distance trajectory, but still close enough that they can punch each other, which they do so with gusto.

With a solid grunt, Chouji immediately enlarges himself, and catches the two crashing bucks safely in both arms and holds them down.

Ino has dodged to the side, but underestimated the safety distance, and one of the buck's enormous antlers hits the bentos and sends them flying through the air.

The blonde girl yelps in dismay, and tries catching the airborne lunch boxes with a full-body slide, but alas, is still not fast enough.

Ino's eyes begin shimmering with unshed tears at the sight of the scattered contents of food and containers and reins in a sob. She worked so very hard on those.

Still holding the bucks in check, Chouji worriedly looks to his childhood friend, a friend who is essentially family, a precious sister to him, and sees said friend on the verge of tears.

He's doesn't care why those bentos are important, just that they are and two assholes just made Ino _cry_.

With fire in his eyes, Akimichi Chouji demands payment in ass-whooping.

* * *

.

* * *

Pushing the windows open, Hatake Kakashi smiles brightly under his mask at the warmth of the gentle morning sun and the scent of the fresh morning air. With a cheerful tune, he waters the flowers that Rin bought to lighten up their apartment.

Casually, he checks the clock on the kitchen wall and gasps. Only two more hours until the allotted time for the team meeting! He'd better start getting a move on!

He begins untying his apron when he catches the sight of something—definitely not birds—flying through the sky.

Pulling down his mask to use his sharingan, he sees what could only be his little brother Naruto and student Sasuke, cursing and punching each other in midair while travelling at the speed of a homerun hit.

Obviously, he's overworked from all the recent missions, and needs time to recuperate.

He closes the windows and decides to take a thirty-minute nap.

* * *

.

* * *

"Lee-kun, Tenten-kun," Might Gai calls out. "A moment, please."

The two cease their practicing in the forest training grounds and blur over.

"Yosh! Gai-sensei! I am well prepared for your undoubtedly insightful words of wisdom!" Lee Rock hollers enthusiastically, arms pumping.

Tenten, who was just practicing with a large scythe, swings over and almost cleaves her teacher's head in half. She taps herself on the noggin, a sheepishly cute expression on her bandaged face. "Oops. Sorry, Gai-sensei, you were saying?"

Gai reins in his sigh, as chunks of his hair fall to the ground.

_Remember what Kakashi said, don't be a wet blanket, be encouraging_, _encouraging_, he repeats as a mantra.

"Lee-kun, Tenten-kun. I know I haven't been the most…encouraging instructor or team leader for both of you and Neji-kun. But in spite of my own shortcomings and negativities, all of you have become strong shinobi of the Leaf in your own right."

Lee and Tenten's eyes shimmer with barely reined in emotions.

Seeing the effect of his words, Gai can't keep the small smile down. "I just want you both to know…that I am very proud—"

The sound of a sonic boom interrupts his heartfelt speech in the form of Naruto and Sasuke, both of whom land feet first on Gai's back, stomping him into the ground and subsequent crater.

Without skipping a beat, they resume running and fighting off into the distance.

Snapping out of their shock, the two members of Team Gai rush to their fallen teacher.

"NO! GAI-SENSEEEEEEIIII!" Lee wails dramatically to the heavens.

Tenten pokes the man with a stick.

_Ugh_, Gai groans mentally. _This is totally not worth the trouble_.

With that decided, Gai falls asleep in the crater.

* * *

.

* * *

Perhaps it's due to instinct that they arrive at their usual training ground to finish the remainder of their fight. Actually, they were more or less making a straight line here since the beginning of the brawl. Sure, they took certain unnecessary detours, while for some reason Naruto has been popping out shadow clones constantly the whole time, but that only got them here faster with plenty of reserves.

And it's with those reserves that they start bringing out the big guns.

Or they would have, if not for the sudden interruption of a lavender whirlwind between them.

Before they could react, dozens of finger strikes spear out and Naruto's arms are now slacking at his sides while Sasuke loses control of his legs and faceplants on the crusty earth.

Both of them fearfully stare at the divine intervention known as Hyuuga Hinata, whose arms are crossed and face shadowed in a dark, dark aura except for the glowing byakugan and chesire grin.

Uh Oh.

"The two of you caused quite the trouble out there~," she sing-songs with a cheerful menace.

Sasuke can't help but gulp. "W-wait! Naruto-baka started it—"

"Oh, poor, stupid, naïve, little Uchiha," the she-devil sighs in mock pity, and jerks a thumb backwards over her shoulder. "Do you honestly think _they _care?"

He sees it now, the towering, lumbering shadows of the _legion_ of pissed off people, including but definitely not limited to a good number of their friends.

His only grace is that Naruto looks equally nervous.

"Crime and punishment, _boys~_," Hinata smirks, the very vision of dark beauty, and gives a dreadful thumbs-down. "Prepa~are for it."

Sasuke braces for the pain.

* * *

About a few minutes later, Uchiha Sasuke finds both himself and Naruto shirtless, collared, and leashed like dogs. "What the hell! ?"

"Now, now," Hinata scolds with a wagging finger. "You should be thanking me. Instead of being torn apart by the mob, you're just going to be humiliated in public. Isn't that nice?"

Somehow, Sasuke finds the thought of dismemberment comforting when compared to being at the mercy of the crazy Hyuuga girl. "This can't be legal!"

Worst of all, for some reason Sakura, who is blinking confusedly, is still here. Sure he's grateful that she healed the bruise on his immaculate face quite nicely, but for her to see him debased like this…

"It's as legal as I want it to be~," Hinata chants, hands on her hips. "Now, we're going to walk around the village. People are going to stare, and you're going to let them. And after they finally get bored of you two, we're going to apologize to all the victims of your stupidity and work nonstop until everything is either repaired or compensated for, understand?"

By the Ancestors, he wants to fight back, but knows that doing so will only deepen the hole of misery that he's quickly sinking within.

Seeing Naruto grin helplessly with a shrug, the Uchiha lad can only slump in defeat.

"I'll take Naruto-ku~un,"Hinata sing-songs, creepily cheerful, and tugs the blonde towards herself, before holding out the other leash to the pinkette. "And Sakura-chan can take Sasuke~."

"Eh! ?" Sakura and Sasuke simultaneously exclaim in surprise.

"I'm doing this too?" Sakura asks, looking at all of them, a little panicky.

Hinata blinks, as if the outburst was unexpected. "Well, ye~ah, Sakura-chan. I'm not touching the Uchiha idiot with a ten foot pole much less dragging him around on a leash. C'mon, it'll be fun! It's been a while since we last hanged out and there's so much I want to talk to you about!"

"Well…" Sakura trails off hesitantly. She doesn't want to do something that would make Sasuke and Naruto embarrassed or hurt. Then again, she does want to chat with Hinata, and this _would_ be a lot less painful than simply throwing them to the mob. Also, Tsunade-shishou always told her to broaden her horizons by trying out new, different things in order to gain perspectives on people and culture, an important advice for any medical-nin. Walking a shirtless Uchiha Sasuke with a leash most certainly could be filed under that category. And she always did want a dog…

Besides all that, the look Sasuke is giving her seems to convey, _Oh, I'm okay with it. In fact, I insist you parade me around the village like a show-dog. Woof! _

"…Okay!" Sakura chirps, and takes the offered leash.

Sasuke gapes in utter disbelief.

"Now move, boys!" Hinata commands with sadistic glee.

On her prompt, Naruto shrugs and starts marching, obediently following the Hyuuga heiress, somewhat used to such bizarre treatments by now. Soon Sasuke reluctantly follows his temporary 'owner'.

Shit. Well, if he's going to be paraded around the neighborhood like a prized livestock, he might as well be sexy about it, and starts strutting, which lasts barely a few seconds before hunching in pain at the closed tenketsu near his appendix.

Hinata grins dangerously. "You're a prisoner, not a peacock."

That woman is seriously deranged.

With a grumble, Sasuke shoves his hands in his pockets, and glares at the ground.

Sensing the Uchiha's silent surrender, Hinata grins victoriously, and resumes her lead next to the innocently blinking Sakura, but not before leaping towards Naruto and tiptoeing to touch her nose to his.

Sasuke watches, slightly enviously at the display. How can the girl be so cruel yet so sweet to the blonde idiot at the same time? He looks over to Sakura, who seems entirely too excited at the prospect of treating him like a mutt. He sighs, deep and suffering.

They start walking, and soon reach the village market.

Oh the jeers, the laughs, the pointing children, the disgusted elderly, the gawking adults, and the _leers_. The Leers.

Why can't something heavy land on him now? Like a building or a meteorite? He's most definitely not picky right now.

Naruto, the source of all of today's problems, seems only mildly affected, so the chances of convincing the blonde to summon a giant toad to squash themselves is probably nil. Why does he have to suffer when it was that idiot's fault they're in this predicament in the first place?

He glares at Naruto while trying to ignore one of the male vendor's flirty winks. "What. The. Hell. You. Ass?"

Naruto blinks, as if suddenly made aware of the Uchiha's presence. "Ah? Whatcha on about, Teme?"

Sasuke bristles furiously. "What am I on about! ? You freaked out on me and landed us in the messiest mess since that time we had to fight for lives from those cultists who wanted to rip out our souls to summon Cthulhu!"

Naruto laughs. "Oh, yeah~! That was a lot of fun!"

"You're not getting the point, you idiot! We're being paraded around like a freak show!"

Naruto shrugs, grinning still. "To be fair, Hinata-chan _did_ save our asses. Didn't you see Chouji? He looked like he wanted to snap us like twigs!"

Sasuke supposes that's true. Chouji did look remarkably murderous. He doesn't quite remember what they did to incite the wrath of the powerful Akimichi heir, but whatever it is, they're going to have to do a lot of free manual labor to make up for it. And the only reason the crazy Hyuuga witch had even the remotest inclination to include himself in the package of saving is because of Naruto. If it was just himself, she'd have left him to the wolves. Hell, she'd be the leader of the wolf pack.

Sasuke fights down the urge to tear out his own hair, or get extremely wasted. "Seriously. Just. What? Why?"

"Hmm…" Naruto hums, considering the distance between the two them and the chatting girls up ahead. "Well, I guess it's okay if I tell you. But you gotta keep it to yourself. I mean it, seriously. Cross your heart and all that pizazz."

Sasuke blinks.

* * *

.

* * *

Somewhere at an unoccupied piece of land stands a conspicuous wooden shed. It's used mostly as a giant tool box and safe-house for lost hunters, travelers, and sometimes even ninja, when they're caught in unfavorable weather or nighttime. It's fairly tall and large in size when compared to other structures of the same function, but otherwise is unremarkable. Unless one had special talents in vision. Particularly, a bloodline from the Hyuuga clan.

A cloaked figure approaches the shed, but instead of going to the obvious entrance, the figure steps to the side.

With a handsign, the figure peers through the hood of the cloak and into the structure. The figure pushes _in _a piece of the outer wall, and turns, causing sounds of gears and chains revving as portions of the outer wall and the ground open up.

The cloaked figure quickly enters.

Soon, the figure steps into a spacious den alit with artificial lightning, takes off the hood, and stares at the other members who are already present.

"Were you followed?" A gruffer looking member of the Hyuuga elders asks.

Hyuuga Isao narrows his eyes. "I wouldn't have entered if I was."

"You can't be too careful," another elder inserts. "Not even in our own territory. Not even of our own clansmen. Who knows which one of them is an agent of that damnable harpy."

A gray-haired female elder sighs. "I miss my bonbons."

Isao sits amongst them, eyes steely. "You'll have your precious tea time desserts back soon, once we rid the clan of its taint."

"So…" a balding, portly man, who is surprisingly not a Hyuuga, starts. "Do you suggest _removal_?"

Isao closes his eyes. "It's unfortunate, especially given her talents and drive. But she opposes our traditions, seeking to tear them apart blindly with no regard for their values. Her actions and behaviors do not cast the image of the clan in a good light. She cannot be allowed to continue this unholy path, a path that will undoubtedly end with the collapse of the Hyuuga Clan itself. If left unchecked further, the same will befall the Civilian Council as well, given her goals."

Another elder snorts hotly. "Damn that Hiashi, allowing his daughter to run amok and drag down the Hyuuga name. We should have put a stop to her ages ago, when it was still simple."

Isao opens his eyes. "There is no use lamenting the past. We should concentrate on the here and now."

"Has nothing worked?" the same portly man from before mutters, decidedly nervous.

Isao silently contemplates. "Our whisper campaigns have not bear fruit. A frontal assault is as probable as shattering boulders with pebbles and half as effective. The Branch House is gaining too much misguided vigor, and if we do not hurry, there _will _be conflict."

"What then," another non-Hyuuga member coughs, "shall we do?"

Isao unfolds his arms, and leans forward. "We shall—"

"_Choke on my stinkin' glory fumes, biatches!"_

All the Hyuuga members of the gathering immediately activate their byukugan in alert, and quickly discover they cannot see out of the room they reside in.

Isao instantly makes for the hidden entrance, and finds it shut tight and barred from the outside, which resounds with countless disturbing bouts of laughs and giggles.

Someone screams, and he turns around.

To see _thousands_ of insects shooting out from the underground floor like a geyser.

Someone screams even louder when sheets of yellow, foul smelling liquid begin pouring in.

Isao aims to break the ceiling, which is supposed to be only inches of wood, and make way to the upper-ground level of the shed, but too finds that barred by…steel?

One of the male elders emits a shrill, girly scream, and starts to rotate. "_I hate bugs!"_

Isao panics. "NO!"

"_Kaiten_!"

"AAAHHHH! It's _everywhere_!"

"Dear mother in heaven!"

"Why meeeee! ?"

* * *

.

* * *

Outside, perched far away on a grassy vantage point within distance of several trees, Neji observes the shed through a viewing scope.

He watches as Shino steps a safe distance away from the shed and allows the Horde, hundreds of blonde shadow clones, to somehow upheave the _entire_ structure of the shed, including the secret compartments, with big stinkin' shovels, wrap the whole thing in palatable steel sheets covered in seals, then punt it like a soccer ball.

Even at the distance, he could hear the screams.

"This is Beta One," Neji speaks into his earpiece. "The Horde is having fun. A lot. What is the situation with Phase Two?"

"_This is Unit Nine. Phase Two is underway. No foreseeable complications. The Package should be on its way."_

"Good. Make sure to erase your tracks and clear all evidences. Over and out."

Neji turns away from the direction of the screams, and walks in the opposite direction. Clearing through a veritable wall of leaves and shrubbery, he arrives at another vantage point, one that has a clear view of the village's largest hot springs and baths.

He grins. A very wide, lewd grin.

Hyuuga Neji, part time research assistant of the famous author Jiraiya, begins to giggle uncontrollably as he eagerly partakes in one of the most spectacular views the village has to offer, and takes notes.

* * *

.

* * *

"Wait, let me get this straight. You're saying that you picked a fight with me as a means of wide-scale distraction and a largely witnessed alibi just so that Hinata's goons can mess with the Hyuuga elders?"

"We~ell, that's not the entire story, but yeah, close enough."

Sasuke processes this, and decides he is incredulously outraged. A curious combination. "You made us spectacles for the entire village and caused untold amounts of property damage that will undoubtedly result in black marks for our records!"

"We~ell…"

"All our friends are flipping-out-mad at us!"

"Yeah, I'm actually really sorry about that."

"I'll be masticated, churned, burned, tortured, then finally ostracized by my entire bloody clan!"

"Heheh, you said _masticate_."

"And you hit my _face_!"

Naruto raises an eyebrow. "At first I _was_ going to just play a huge-ass prank on the entire village—"

"So why didn't you just do _that_ instead of hitting my _beautiful face_! ?"

Naruto frowns. "Cuz some asshole decided to _hit on my mom_! It's only fair I get to hit his stupid face!"

"I said I was sorry! And my face is gorgeous, not stupid!"

"Like hell you did! You just went on and on about Kaa-chan like a total creep! And your face has pimples!"

"Oh, you did NOT GO THERE—"

"_Boys_~?"

The two rising egos and tempers shrivel and die a timely death.

Hinata glowers at them, a dark aura slithering from her haughty stance. "Do you want to lose your pants, too?"

The two shake their heads desperately.

Hinata _hmph's_, flips her hair, and resumes walking next to the worried Sakura.

The dark haired teen sends his comrade in leashes a look that is equally impressed and pitying. "Your girlfriend is seriously the scariest, the most conniving, the most _deranged_ example of Queen Bitch of the Universe I've ever seen."

Naruto grumbles. "She's not my girlfriend."

Sasuke blinks. "Wait, you two are _still _on about that?"

"Not me," Naruto replies curtly, huffing through his nose.

The Uchiha almost snickers. "So she all but segregates you from the opposite gender by abusing her power and the physical and mental health of defenseless innocents, just to _cockblock both of you_? That's _harsh_._"_

Naruto grumbles, scratching his ear. "It's not like that. Well, not entirely. Besides, how's your own quest coming along?"

The other young man grumbles, staring at his pinkette of a temporary 'owner'. "Tch. You know the answer to that."

The blonde shrugs, and walks with both hands clasped behind his head, staring ahead. "Have you considered, I dunno, _telling her?_"

Sasuke snorts, much more hotly than he intended. "You think I haven't _tried_? She just…doesn't _get it_."

"Then try harder, or this is about as far as a double date we're ever gonna get."

Sasuke scoffs. "Like hell I'd want to have a double date with you and the mistress of torture and misery. Sakura-chan deserves better."

Naruto looks over. "How long have you been trying to ask her out anyway? Since we were twelve?"

Sasuke grumbles. "Since we were _ten_."

"Wow. That's actually kinda creepy."

The Uchiha glares slightly. "You're such a teapot."

Naruto blinks. "Huh?"

Sasuke sighs deeply. "Never mind, forget it. Look, I really am sorry, about Kushina-baasan. I didn't know you would be so upset. I was just…you know."

"Trying to see if Sakura-chan gets jealous?"

The dark haired teen doesn't answer, and looks up ahead.

Hinata seems to have said something funny, the way Sakura is giggling mirthfully.

"Does Sakura-chan still…" Naruto trails off, grasping for words, "…have the liking of, you know, Itachi-nii?"

Sasuke begins to look uncomfortable, and stares ahead at the pinkette. "…I don't know. Maybe."

Naruto nods, seemingly sympathetic. "Want me to go ask her?"

The dark haired teen gawks. "What! ? No!"

"Ah? Why not? I can totally find out for you. Heck, I bet Hinata-chan knows already—"

"Don't!" he yells, much louder than he intended. "Don't. Just. I don't want to know, okay?"

Naruto scoffs. "You're such a chicken, duck-butt-Teme."

Sasuke glowers, but sighs. "I _know_ that."

They continue walking in momentary silence.

"Ah~, buck up, Teme," Naruto eventually starts. "They're plenty of other awesome pink-haired girls. Besides, Sakura-chan's always been too good for your punk ass anyway."

Dear Ancestors above, the idiot is bad at comforting. Still, he supposes he appreciates the gesture. "Hmph. Well, at least things can't get much—"

Naruto blinks in alarm. "Wait, Sasuke! Don't say it!"

"—worse than this?"

There on the side, in the stretching line of spectators and gossiping housewives, stood one Uchiha Itachi and one Uchiha Shisui.

The two elder Uchiha stare at them, and they stare back, aghast.

Slowly, Itachi closes his eyes, and sends them a silent prayer. Next to Itachi, Shisui has started twitching from his effort to not _point at them and laugh_ until his kidneys fail.

In the next moment, they disappear in a swirl of leaves.

Sasuke shrugs and shoves his hands in his pockets. "In view of recent events, my life is now officially over. See to it that my remains are used responsibly, would you? Or at the very least preserved in a supermodel museum."

Naruto grins brightly. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan and I made plans for that years ago! We're gonna auction your body parts to the highest bidders from your fan club!"

Crap. Naruto is probably only half-joking, and even that's likely still an overestimation, knowing the cruelty that is the blonde's not-girlfriend.

"Not remotely funny," he scoffs, but still finds himself laughing alongside his friend. Naruto has that effect on people.

The two of them continue walking along, but now with eased casualness, watching the two leading girls converse animatedly. Sasuke's gaze settles on the girl of pink hair and cheerful smiles, and a soft, bittersweet look takes over.

"Thinking about giving up?"

Sasuke looks to his shirtless partner, who is observing with a calculating look, and grins. "Not a chance in hell, dattebayo."

Naruto returns a broad, almost feral, smirk, and extends a fist.

Grinning wider now, Sasuke accepts the gesture.

The fists of Namikaze Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke bump together, as they did many, many years ago.

Oh, yeah~. At least they were cool, half-naked idiots now.

Sakura smiles, and taps her friend's shoulder excitedly. "Look, Hinata-san! They've made up!"

Smirking, Hinata turns back, and the expression quickly fades into a rising snarl.

After their epic brofist, Sasuke has apparently settled back on teasing Naruto with his spontaneous, random bouts of homoerotic gestures by slinging an arm over the shoulders and winking at the now slightly uncomfortable blonde at a distance too short to be unambiguous.

"They're _bromancing_!" Hinata shrieks, not unlike an enraged tigress, her byakugan pulsing to life.

The two shirtless young men freeze and stare at the approaching avatar of dark, feminine fury, and gulp.

"Uh Oh."

* * *

.

* * *

Namikaze Minato sighs at the sight of never-ending stacks of papers that somehow must've became sentient unbeknownst to humanity and learned the kage-bushin no jutsu to boot.

He signs and stamps; signs and stamps; signs and—

He blinks, and taps the desk thrice with his fingers.

Through a crack in the ceiling, thick, dark liquids drip to the ground and soon forms a recognizable puddle of ink.

From within the puddle, a kneeling, mask-wearing, darkly clothed figure emerges. "Hokage-sama."

Minato nods his acknowledgement. "At ease. How'd it go?"

The figure stands at attention. "Due to Hinata-sama, Naruto-sama, and Hiashi-sama's respective efforts, the mission is deemed a success. Infiltration of the Hyuuga compound under daylight would've been impossible if not for Naruto-sama's…unusual method of distraction."

The blonde Hokage gives a wry grin. "The package?"

The agent reaches behind, and pulls out a scroll. "This is an exact replica. The original remains in its place resealed and seemingly untouched."

Minato nods. He takes the scroll, and unrolls it.

With a critical eye, he examines what is essentially the blueprint of the _Caged Bird Seal_. He smirks.

With a flick of his wrist, the scroll vanishes. "Good, I'll look through it thoroughly later. Back to your stations."

The figure doesn't move, and seems to be fidgeting.

Minato sighs. "You can go watch."

With a swoosh that sounds suspiciously like _woohoo_, the agent disappears into the shadows.

The Yondaime pinches the bridge of his nose, lamenting the number of fetish-carrying agents in his special ops.

* * *

.

* * *

The sun descends down a red horizon.

"So, you're not gay?"

"Uwa~! For the last time, Hinata-chan, NO! I mean, I'm never quite sure about Sasuke-teme, but I'm definitely as straight as a senbon!"

She still looks pensive. "Are you _sure_?"

Expression serious, Naruto stares into her eyes, then slowly trails downwards, all the way to her toes, then make rounds back to her eyes again.

He grins. "Hell yeah, I'm _sure_."

Hinata smiles, a smile that's parts of many things, but mostly coyness, relief, mischief, and…uncertainty. "…Promise?"

Naruto scoots over until their shoulders and feet touch. "Of a Lifetime, dattebayo."

A red hue paints her cheeks, and the smile that blooms is simply just _happy_.

A similar but wider and goofier smile forms for Naruto when he feels her arms around his and her head on his shoulder.

Huddled together, the two watch the orange village in contentment from atop the Hokage Monument.

And so ends another crazy day in—

"So~," Hinata grins, eyes half-lidded and a certain _quality_ in her voice, and leans into him in a way that allows him a clear view of her chest. "_Babies_."

Naruto gapes, eyes impossibly wide and cheeks impossibly flushed as a drop of blood trickles out of his nose.

—well, perhaps not quite yet.


	5. beginnings, part 1

**Warning**: Very cliched anime stuff. Also, my grasp on how to write children characters are flimsy at best, and I think it shows in the following chapters. Try not to be too critical.

**AN**: Sorry this came out slower than I anticipated, since having a working laptop apparently is being unreasonable these days. Going into backstory again now. If I'm not careful, I might end up turning this thing into a full story instead of the originally planned episodic manner. Luckily, the reception wasn't bad for the crazy previous chapter. I personally thought it was too whacky but I'm glad some of you thought otherwise.

Just to give people a head's up, I might stop updating immediately upon the release of the movie in Japan, as the movie will most likely eradicate all credentials towards my liberal use of imagination about the characters. So far, I predict reaching just ten chapters, of which includes a Neji gaiden that tells the story of the dilemma of one Hyuuga Neji, about his role in the Hyuuga clan as well as how he came to become Jiraiya's student/research assistant.

* * *

.

* * *

_The days following the birth of Naruto as the Namikaze heir as well as the third jinchuriki of the Kyuubi were ones of happy apprehension and chaotic joy, not just for the newly minted parents, but also for all those who were closely tied together by the emotions of familial love. Lively days were spent in laughter, frustration, joy, tears, and all the spectrum of emotions in life._

"Holy crap, I'm a dad!"

"You choose _now_ to panic! ?"

"What the heck is that smell! ?"

"I have to do _what_! ?"

"Oh, gross! Ah! Double gross!"

"No! Naru-chan, you can't eat that!"

"How is this possible! ? All I did was blink!"

"He's playing in the toilet!"

"Jiraiya-sensei, no! You can't give Naruto sake!"

"But he won't stop crying~!"

"Holy shit! Put out the fire!"

"Rin, what _is_ that! ?"

"I don't know but kill it quickquicknow!"

"I think he just _puked_ on me!"

"Kushina-san, are all babies like this! ?"

"What do you think?"

"Minato-sensei…!"

"No, Kakashi, you're too young to have a vasectomy."

_But mostly in tears, of course. _

_There was no need to worry, however, as they were all tough-as-nails ninjas of legendary proportions, and they persevered in the value of sanity and a healthy childhood for baby Naruto. The major concern, of course, remained a secret in the shadows to all but those who needed to know, and only a very select few fit that parameter. Thus one could say Naruto grew up in a caring, loving, if somewhat peculiar, volatile, and slightly overprotective home. But then again, if one were to ask Naruto, the center of this domestic maelstrom, himself, if would he prefer it any other way, he would reply…_

"More ramen, dattebayo!"

_Of course._

"So I can share it with Hinata-chan!"

_Hmm? Well, that's certainly an interesting change in direction, but it shall be the direction we take._

_The event of the birth of Hyuuga Hinata was one of part celebration and part cynical anticipation. While the birth of a potential heir for the leadership of the clan was, of course, an important, joyous occasion, the more traditional viewpoints deemed it slightly disappointing that the newborn wasn't a male heir, as in said viewpoint males were often regarded as the more suitable candidates for leadership. Hindsight has always been indiscriminately vengeful regardless of the ability of sight._

_As was per the traditions dictated by the clan_,_ circumstances aside, all potential heirs must have reached at least two full years in age before they were allowed outside visitors. And so it was at roughly over the age of two when the young heiress received her first official visitation from another family outside the clan._

"Hokage-sama," Hiashi addresses, wearing a rigidly neutral expression, before giving a reverent, formal bow. "You honor my family and the entire clan with your presence."

Beside the clan head, his wife Kiyoko and their daughter bow in elegant unison. The current family of three is the very picturesque image of an aristocratic nuclear family unit.

Minato smiles genially, a rather stark contrast to his counterpart, and bows in return. "We are the ones honored by your gracious invitation, Hyuuga-sama."

Next to him, Kushina, ever the aspirant of the ideal image of feminine grace, bows alongside her husband with a charming smile, that is until she notices her son has yet to stop spinning in place to stare at everything in excited awe, and bops the child on the head. "Naru-chan, pay attention! You're being rude to our hosts, ttebane!"

"Kaa-chan! We're in a castle!" little Naruto exclaims, somehow excited enough to block off pain signals. "Are there goblins here! ? I want to see goblins! Then I wanna fight em!"

Minato sends an apologetic chuckle and a somewhat sheepish smile towards their hosts as the mother and son pair verbally tussles in a rather loud manner, the red haired mother in particular somehow manages to have forgotten their hosts in favor of stretching her blonde son's cheeks in an attempt to stop him from gawking and spinning.

Kiyoko merely laughs demurely, hiding her mirth behind the sleeve of her kimono, while Hiashi stares unblinkingly, but one could say the man is amused, if one squints very, very, blindingly hard.

Hyuuga Hinata, who has been maintaining excellent posture despite her relative inexperience in terms of social interactions, quietly observes with keen, lilac eyes.

_Hinata's first impression of the Namikaze family was that they were…colorful. In character as well as in sheer visual representation. Standing there together, they seemed like an array of blooming bright pigments a child smeared hazardously across a canvas in the name of art by random chance. They were starkly different to what was considered the norm for the Hyuuga heiress, who was accustomed to a much more structured, quiet, and somewhat monochromatic environment._

_The Yondaime Hokage, is her very young mind, looked too gentle of a person to be considered the strongest, most talented shinobi of the entire village, and even possibly the world, if the stories she was told were to be believed. The man was visibly less imposing than her father, who sustained a regal bearing at all times and was reputed as one of the strongest warriors both within and outside the clan districts. In her childish inclination to favor one's parents, the young heiress wondered what a fight between the patriarchs would be like, in hopes of her father proving to be the stronger of the two._

_Kushina, like her husband, was much different to the young heiress's own mother, who was gentle, kind, and incredibly well-mannered at all intervals and situations, while the red haired person was noticeably lacking in the certain ways of etiquette. That is not to say, that the woman was uncouth or unrefined, but given that she was more or less giving her son a noogie as a means in her quest to calm said boy down, there might be some work left to be done. But the hair. Long, vibrant, an exotic red that seemed to instill a life of its own, was something to behold and admire, and the young heiress could not help but wonder how she herself could achieve something similar. Before she could ponder further, her mother cued her on self-introductions._

"Hinata-chan," Kiyoko urges softly, "why don't you introduce yourself?"

Hinata nods at her mother's request, stepping forward before giving another formal, well executed bow. "My name is Hyuuga Hinata. It is an honor to make your esteemed acquaintances."

Her voice is clear and her tone appropriate, but this is still her first time introducing herself to such interesting strangers, and thus she still can't help but fidget with the insides of her kimono sleeves. But judging from the amiable approval from the Hokage and the sparkly smile of adoration upon the red haired lady's face, she must have done well, and thus internally feels self-congratulatory.

That is until she notices that the smiling face of the red haired lady seems fixed in place and suddenly much closer than before. Before she can react, she is somehow now facing blinkingly at her parents on the other side of the visitation, secured in the arms of the red haired lady.

Minato sweatdrops with a nervous chuckle. "Uh…Kushina-chan?"

"Isn't she just adorable! ?" Kushina gushes, turning towards her husband as if a child showing off a brand new, shiny toy.

Hinata blinks, dangling in the woman's arms.

Hiashi raises an eyebrow, whilst Kiyoko smiles.

"Yes, Kushina-chan," Minato nods, "and she's also the child of _someone else_. So I'm quite sure it would be considered abduction."

Kushina manages to shamelessly look put-off.

Kiyoko smiles ever so pleasantly. "We could always arrange a trade, Kushina-san."

The red haired mother glances at her son and almost seems to consider the so-called offer.

Naruto gapes in utter disbelief at the blatant betrayal from his beloved mother. "Waahh~! Kaa-chan wants to sell me like smelly apples!"

"Oh, nonsense," Kushina denies while gently releasing her captive back to her rightful parents. "Naru-chan is more like an entire crate of dorayaki!"

Nodding at his wife's look and ignoring the mock talk of child trafficking, Hiashi addresses his honored guests, "Please, if you would be so kind, let us continue this pleasant conversation inside with some tea."

As she walks back to her smiling mother's side, Hinata decides the Namikaze family is sort of weird indeed.

* * *

_And so went the first meeting between the Namikaze family and the Hyuuga, and as time went on, so did many more visits came to pass, with some involving unofficial business between Minato and Hiashi, while the other majority usually simply consisted of Kushina and Naruto on friendly regular, monthly visits, during which a comfortable friendship formed between the two young mothers._

_It was during those visits, that Hinata got the opportunity to observe the Namikaze heir in closer detail. The boy was visibly a healthy mix of his heritage, with aspects from both parents, though his facial features resembled the red haired Kushina much more than his father, the Yondaime. More interestingly, his cheeks were marked with what appeared to be stripes of some sort, a characteristic of which the young heiress frequently wondered about, but never inquired, because she believed it would be a flaw on her part for not knowing. _

_That was probably the best description of the majority of their interactions for the months to come. After the mothers convened to chat, they would set off the two of them and allow them to 'play', as it were. The boy would follow her around the compound, into the garden and even into the study, and ask her wave after wave of questions, especially during calligraphy practice, since she couldn't quite run away. It was the momentous event in which the first time she understood the meaning of annoyance._

"Hey, Hinata-san! What you doing?"

"Practicing, Namikaze-san."

"Hey, what's this?"

"That's a scroll."

"What's this mean?"

"It's the kanji for 'loyalty'."

"What about this one?"

"It's the kanji for 'forgiveness'."

"Do you know the kanji for goblins?"

"No."

"Do you know how to draw goblins?"

"NO."

_The boy was usually loud and rambunctious, a trait obviously inherited from his mother, and oftentimes seemed incapable of staying still, always fidgeting or running off to explore places and things that should have long since been identified. Occasionally, though, when the young girl answered some of his questions that she deemed not entirely asinine, the boy would stare and contemplate in a manner very similar to his father, and his large blue eyes gained a certain pull in them that caused her difficulty in looking away. Which was why she poked him in the eyes with her fingers._

"Aaah! The goblins made me can't see!" Naruto wails as he rolls around on the tatami, clutching at his eyes.

"Stop talking about goblins!" she demands with a definitively annoyed frown, which superseded the brief flash of horror at her own violent display.

Naruto gives no reply but exaggerated wails as he keeps on rolling, and rolling, right out the study, and rolling, into the main garden, and rolling, and right into the pond.

Splash.

"Whoa, hey! You guys have a pool!"

"N-Naruto!" Hinata cries as she runs next to the body of water in which the blonde boy now floats in, as did several servants who heard the commotion.

The boy is obviously unhurt by the way he is smiling. "You finally said my name!"

She doesn't quite understand what it is with the boy and his constant high spirits. His behavior should be frowned upon and chastised. No Hyuuga would be caught acting in such a manner. But it's been…nice, having someone so bright and energetic around, even if that someone can make trees plea for death with his incessant badgering.

Before she knows it, she's trying to hold in her laughter and failing.

Naruto grins at the sight, until he feels light pecking at his feet and notices that he has been rather surrounded by a large number of the koi fish inhabitants of the pond.

His eyes widen like saucers as more pecks are made at him by the curious fishes. "Ah! No! They know I'm tasty! I'm being eaten! Save me~!"

Hinata continues to laugh, perhaps even harder than before, as the servants frantically pull the splashing Naruto out of the pond.

Contrary to what the others expected, once he is out of the so-called danger, Naruto does not call for his mother in fright. Instead, all signs of panic vanish instantly and he goes on to grab Hinata's hand and pulls her along so that they can have an 'adventure'.

Perhaps it is because she is still addled by the ridiculousness that is laughing so unrestrained, but Hinata does not resist, and allows herself to be pulled along.

From the interior, Kushina and Kiyoko watch with warm smiles.

_Things remained largely the same since then, but from that point on, the two addressed each other much more informally than before, and the young Hyuuga heiress did not mind indulging in the boy's request for having some fun on occasion. And it was on those little adventures did the girl learn of a peculiar thing called pranks. The idea seemed ludicrous and impractical. To her, there didn't seem to be much point in setting up simple to elaborate scenarios for the purpose of causing minor terror and inconvenience for unsuspecting individuals for the sake of mischief. That is, until she witnessed her cousin-brother running and screaming in the garden._

"AAAH!" Neji screams as he tries to run from the flock of birds pecking at his head. "I wasn't the one who ate your eggs, I swear!"

Both of them try their darndest best, but they soon surrender to the bubbling mirth twitching at their lips and burst out laughing as well as their cover.

With a sigh, Hizashi moves aside the giant plant pottery and picks the two giggling children up, one in each arm, and hauls them off to their respective mothers.

The two doesn't stop enjoying the moment, despite being in potential trouble again.

As the young Hinata continues to share laughs with young Naruto, she wonders if this is what having a friend is like.

* * *

_But just like everything else, good things never quite last, and it was all too soon that the two no longer had the luxury of time to spend together. Both of them were of the age close to be joining the academy soon, and the young heiress found herself boxed into stricter regimens of Jyuuken practice, social etiquette lessons, history lectures, floral arrangement lessons, calligraphy, tea ceremony, and so on until time became a resource of perpetual shortage and the concept of fun a nonexistent fantasy and the images of a brightly smiling boy was pushed far into the back of her mind._

_So it was at the age of roughly over six, on the fourth week of spring, did the young Hyuuga Hinata find herself doing self-introductions to an entire classroom of academy students, all of whom stared at her and passed indiscreet observations amongst themselves through hushed chitchatting until the instructor, one Umino Iruka, silenced them._

This is it. The official beginning of her training towards a shinobi career. It's not as nerve wrecking as she imagined, she thinks, as she stares back at the rows of similarly aged but mostly older children of varying appearances.

She can tell a good number of these so-called academy students would only amount to dropouts, if they were lucky, because if they were unlucky enough to graduate, the misfortune of being cannon fodder would be the likely draw of the lot in their near future. But that is no concern of hers. For now, she is only here to announce her name, and allow the masses the chance to remember it when she awes them with the action to back it.

She straightens her posture further, her pristine white robes hanging about her like sheets of light as she tilts her head just right, and takes a steadying breath. "My name is—"

"Hinata!"

She blinks.

"Up here, Hinata~!" that someone shouts again.

Following the voice that somehow knows her name, she looks up, to the sight of a blonde, whiskered boy waving energetically, seated in the row just near the top.

"Naruto…?" she whispers, as her mind runs through so many images and thoughts that she almost feels dizzy.

It's definitely a weird feeling, the feeling of the heart skipping a beat and the extreme tug at buried fragments in the recess of one's mind. For one, _long_ moment, the world runs out of focus as the forgotten pieces reassemble, once again, and becomes nothing but a stage for two.

"Oi, Hinata~! It's me—bwah! What gives, Iruka-sensei! ?"

"Naruto-san! You're being rude and disrupting! Don't interrupt others when it's their first day in class!" the instructor scolds as he picks up another piece of chalk. "You wouldn't like it if someone else interrupted you, now would you?"

Naruto makes a noise of petulance and sticks his tongue out.

The spell is broken, and she remembers to breathe.

The instructor turns to her, and smiles in a friendly manner that is at complete odds with his previous display of righteous teacher fury. "I guess you and Naruto-san know each other. Still, please introduce yourself to the rest of the class."

She does so, and nearly fumbles through her supposedly well-rehearsed, succinct reveal of her name and background tidbits, because Naruto is sort of smiling broadly at her and she keeps finding herself glancing at him.

When the instructor tells her to pick any empty seat, Naruto immediately tries waving her over and starts kicking a dark haired boy with gravity-defying hair in what apparently is the quickest method to create an available seat next to himself.

Of course, the other boy doesn't quite appreciate being forced to relinquish his seat, and expresses this by kicking viciously back, which then results in them accidentally hitting the other students around them, who then get angry and retaliates.

Before she knows it, there's a dust cloud of flailing limbs and biting teeth and the instructor is throwing chalks and erasers like an automatic weapon at the group of rowdy boys as the rest of the class either starts backing away in fright, mostly the girls, or begins encouraging the quickly escalating class disruption.

She watches as Naruto somehow gets put into a headlock by four other boys and still manages to headbutt them all.

Watching for a few moments longer, Hinata then picks one of the seats at the edge of the front row, sits down, and blinks.

She doesn't understand why she is so affected. Logically, she knew that the blonde would be here, he had told her several times before that he is to enter the academy alongside his friends. She simply _forgot_, and she's not entirely certain how that could be.

She looks back at the now broken fight and calmed commotion as Iruka is now somehow furiously scolding them with a head the size of a barnyard.

Whist cowering under the magnificent barrage of tongue lashing, Naruto still manages to catch her stare, and smiles back.

Hinata quickly turns away, a slight tint of red on her cheeks that quickly fades away into a thoughtful frown.

Class resumes once order has been reestablished, that is, once Iruka calls in an assistant instructor and drags the group of misfits for proper punishments to be carried out in the hallway.

She ignores the feel of several pairs of eyes on her as the rest of the time passes, listening to the substitute instructor prattle on about this and that, basically information she already knows firmly by now, but she takes notes and reviews the material because she is supposed to.

That's right. She's here for a purpose, and she absolutely needs to excel, even beyond expectations so that she can set things straight.

Class is over before she knows it. Time passes by relatively quickly when one's mind is focused elsewhere, she decides, and hurries to leave without appearing to do so.

Without a second glance at the rest of the class, she walks out into the open and chooses an unoccupied crop of grassy space to wait, glad that at least for today she doesn't have to deal with—

"Hinata, wait up!"

Her breath hitches, but she forces herself to remain calm.

"Hey, Hinata," Naruto greets as he runs over, panting slightly. "It's been so _long _since we've seen each other! It's so awesome you're finally here-ttebayo! Sorry I couldn't get Sasuke to get his butt off but hey I'll make sure we're sitting together next time and—"

"Namikaze-san," she greets politely with a short bow.

Naruto blinks, his excitement dying down. "Eh? What's with the, um, surname stuff! ? It's me, Naruto, remember! ? We used to—"

"My apologies, Namikaze-san," she interrupts politely once again, as an older Hyuuga male appears within sight, "but my escort is here. Farewell and a good day to you."

She begins walking away, her long sleeves trailing behind her, but pauses when Naruto calls to her again.

"W-wait! What's going on here! Don't you remember me?"

She looks at him. Unseen, she tugs on the inside of her sleeves. "Yes, of course, Namikaze-san. Your family visited ours for many times."

"Then—"

"It is a pleasure meeting you once again, but please do not be so casual with my name in the future."

With another bow, she walks away without a second glance back, leaving a completely baffled Naruto to his bewilderment while her personal guard and escort, an older Branch House member named Hyuuga Kō, who lingers behind briefly to say something to the blonde.

When she reaches home, she greets her parents before excusing herself to stay in her room, staring at the ceiling and listening to the sound of leaves in the wind scratching at the window.

Before long, the door slides open and her mother walks in with a gentle smile. "Hinata-chan? Are you feeling well?"

She sits up proper. "I am well, Okaa-san. Thank you for asking."

She's uncertain why, but her mother seems a little sad at the response. "Did you enjoy your first day at the Academy? Did you make any friends?"

The image of a despondent boy flashes through her mind. "The Academy is passable for its purpose. Because of my late entry into the class, it is too early to say how I compare with the rest of the students, but I will catch up."

Kiyoko sits down carefully, her bulging abdomen holding the beginnings of a new life, next to her daughter and begins stroking her hair. "Do not worry about grades, Hinata-chan. You are a talented, strong child. You will perform marvelously. Mother just wants you to enjoy the time learning and playing with the other children. Did you talk to little Naruto-san? I'm sure he was very happy to see you again."

There is a pause.

"We spoke. He did not remember me."

Kiyoko blinks, her hand stops and drops down to her daughter's small back. "Are you certain? The two of you played many times together when you were younger, and I heard—"

"He does not remember me," Hinata insists, staring the door as the evening sunlight dances in colors.

The mother looks worriedly at her child's expression. "Hinata-chan?"

The girl abruptly shakes her head and gives her mother a small smile. "Please, Okaa-san, there is no need to worry. I am fine and well."

Kiyoko seems discontent, but does not press further. Her breath suddenly hitches as movement occurs in her abdomen, and she exhales deeply as she soothes the sensation with her hands. "Mmm…it looks like this little one wishes for attention."

Hinata's smile grows wider as she presses her ears to her mother's belly. She giggles excitedly when she feels small bumping from within. "I can hear it, Okaa-san!"

Kiyoko smiles brightly. "Hmm. In a few more months, there will be a little baby brother or sister for you, Hinata-chan. You're going to be a big sister soon."

If possible, the girl smiles even wider as she continues to listen for sounds of the life that is already family. "I will protect you," she whispers.

* * *

_And it was so that the two met again, only for the Hyuuga heiress to dampen the rekindling of their friendship. Naruto, being the person that he was, initially did not relent in his quest to reacquaint himself with the girl and had set off to talk to her at every available opportunity in order to 'jog her memory', only for Hinata to repel such efforts with polite apathy. She was never hostile, and always replied with a well-mannered countenance, but maintained a distance between them by refusing every invitation the boy extended. As a couple weeks come and went, apparently so did Naruto's enthusiasm. The boy's confusion continued to mount as Hinata only seemed interested in paying attention to lectures and showing off during weapons and taijutsu practice._

The bell rings.

After Iruka give a few warnings about potential quizzes, earning groans from the majority of the class, the students quickly forgo the worry in order to file out for lunch.

Naruto walks down the stairs, stopping just a couple steps away from Hinata, who is apparently looking over the homework assignment for the week.

He stares, frowning, shakes his head and opens his mouth to—

"Hey, Naruto!" Uchiha Sasuke calls from the door. "Hurry up or we'll lose the spot under the tree!"

Naruto scowls. "I know already! Gimme a minute!"

The dark-haired boy shrugs and takes off.

He stares at the girl again, ruffling his own hair in frustration. After a few more moments of deliberation, he walks past her without a word.

Unbeknownst to the boy, Hinata raises her gaze from the paper, and stares until he is no longer seen.

After a beat during which the sounds of outdoor activities fill the silent classroom, she unpacks her bento and eats lunch alone.

* * *

_And so, things continued for nearly another month in similar fashion. They acknowledged each other when appropriate, but neither hung around each other unless necessary. Hinata's clan trainings came into effect, and she climbed the class rankings with relative ease, challenged only by few others in terms of weapons proficiency and academic knowledge, and nearly opposed by none in taijutsu. She remained modest and polite to her fellow classmates, but generally kept her distance as she did with Naruto, spending all her time reading or training instead of talking or anything resembling a pastime. Most of the class at that point decided she was the weird, loner type and opinions of her were generally unfavorable. The boys disliked her because of her talents while the girls believed her to be an antisocial, stuck-up bitch, who didn't give anyone the time of day simply because she was Hyuuga deemed everyone beneath notice, even the students from the notable clans as well as the son of the Hokage. That, however, was not entirely true._

Surreptitiously, Hinata studies a number of her peers as she makes her way for kunai/shuriken practice.

Akimichi Chouji, the current heir to his clan. His stern countenance belies an admirable kindness, especially towards those he considers friends. She has yet to witness usage of his clan techniques during spars, as the class has yet to reach such a point, but what she's seen so far is impressive and hints of qualities suitable for leadership. His interests seem to mainly lay in the carpentry lessons that is part of the boys' curriculum, and has been seen asking questions in regards to crafting armors.

Nara Shikamaru. He is…difficult to judge. The boy seems to have an attention span of a dying rodent and only the timely intervention and efforts from his friends keeps him in one place long enough to get information through to him. Still, he is of the Nara clan, a clan supposedly noteworthy for their intelligence, so she will keep vigilance, which is quite the problematic task considering the boy chases grasshoppers.

Yamanaka Ino. The blonde girl is either shy, or has a severe case of anthrophobia. She makes barely any noise and is seemingly content to be left unnoticed. The only people she is comfortable interacting with are the Akimichi heir, who acts like a protective elder sibling, and the Nara heir, who usually requires the blonde girl's worried reminders in keeping him focused on whatever tasks are at hand. She is uncertain as to the reason, but sometimes she feels a mysterious kinship with the girl, especially when the girl pokes her fingers together in nervousness and blushes a bright red.

Inuzuka Kiba is a cat. A concept at complete odds with what should be considered normality. Apparently, he is a natural occurrence within the Inuzuka clan that comes to pass every couple of generations. Some say it is a curse from a rival clan of nin-cat users from pre-village history. After a particularly brutal conflict between the two clans that resulted in the demise of the nin-cat-using clan, their leader crafted a terrible curse upon his dying breath. As such, the Inuzuka clan is cursed forever to occasionally bear the shame that is a neko girl upon their children, which makes Kiba a special occurrence as on top of being the cursed child he is also of the incorrect gender. Naturally, instead of being gifted with the strengths and the ability to communicate with dogs, it is of cats. Thus the boy doesn't have a nin-dog partner, and is mostly seen behaving like a wild feline and making bad cat puns when the opportunity arises.

Aburame Shino. The boy at first seems to be a loner type, preferring to observe from afar much like herself, but it is soon revealed by some of the other students that he is usually composing something called 'rap' in lieu of paying attention to class or anything else, for that matter. Not much else is known about him, but he also seems to possess a rather crude and colorful vocabulary, something that gave the instructors quite the pale face when they initially called upon him to answer lecture questions, and thus have not done so ever again.

Haruno Sakura is an excellent student. Like herself, the girl spends most of her time studying and training, a rather unusual behavior for a person from a clan-less background. It is likely at least one of her parents is a shinobi, for the girl to be so driven in the learning of the profession. The short, pink hair is another thing that boggles the mind, and will be an open subject for future investigations. She will be the most likely competitor for the position of top kunoichi of the class, but from what she's seen, the pinkette does not seem to care about grades all that much.

Uchiha Sasuke, the resident class brown noser, as some has called him behind his back, and the current holder of the title of top of the class. He is also apparently the holder of the title 'super bishounen' in the eyes of the female students. He is skilled and talented, unsurprisingly, considering his background, and invests much time in maintaining his class ranking, which makes it all the more important that she assesses his threat level given the rivalry between their clans. _Especially_ given the rivalry between their clans. Outshining the Uchiha starling will be a suitable stepping stone towards showing her worth.

Namikaze Naruto. No comments.

She strides up a fair distance away, further than the standard starting line from the target, aims, and throws.

The Hyuuga, as the general rule, do not use projectiles often, as their main goal in any combat situation is to utilize the Jyuuken arts in close-quarters by preemption or by forcing the opponent into the position. As such, most of the Hyuuga do not carry shuriken and kunai because firstly, doing so would lighten their load, and because secondly, most are inept to mediocre at best in said skill to begin with.

She will be different, though. She has to be.

The kunai sails and hits very well near the center of the bulls-eye, and she internally frowns at the idea of 'almost', but will make up for it by reducing aiming preparations.

She spins in place, footing wide to give herself that extra torque in the throw, when suddenly another presence steps in to her left and her split second glance at bright blonde hair causes her to go off-balance and the aim is skewed.

The kunai, hers, is now accompanied by another one, almost like a shadow, and both strike the target close to simultaneous.

She stares at the foreign kunai, inches closer to the center than hers and turns sharply to her left.

Namikaze Naruto. Son of the Yondaime Hokage and descendent of the once prominent Uzushiogakure. Cheerful and loud, with a penchant for pranks. He doesn't care much for lectures and prefers to spend time drawing these odd symbols on any viable writing surface or joking around with friends. He loves his parents, both wonderful people, and always enjoys the lunches his mother packs him. His status as the honorable son of the Hokage automatically placed him in a prestigious standing in the eyes of the other students, and it initially served as a deterrent, until the other children got to know him as the goofy and approachable jokester who could care less about social standings and grade averages. His high spirits and indiscriminately friendly attitude quickly earned him a popularity second only to his close friend, Uchiha Sasuke. But he is a more well-rounded kind of popular, as both boys and girls find him genuinely likable and treat him as a friend. She can—once could relate.

Naruto grins, crossing his arms. "Your aim seems to be a bit off, Hyuuga-san~."

She stares back flatly. "I was distracted."

"Huh. I didn't know the Hyuuga make _excuses_."

Hinata allows a small glare to crop up. She glances around. More people are beginning to take notice. "What do you want, Namikaze-san?"

"Nothing," he chants, seeming to gloat at the tone of her voice.

She glares slightly harder, waiting for the boy to act out in what she can only assume to be one of his jokes.

When he does nothing of the sort, she decides to ignore him and resumes her practice. Except this time he manages to somehow pick her thrown kunai out of the air with his own.

Hinata gives the boy a cold stare.

"Oops, sorry," he says, looking anything but.

At this point, enough of the other students noticed the rising tension and began anticipating a fight of some sort to break out any moment.

She knows that the best course of action is to walk away, but that could be perceived as being afraid of confrontation, and she can't look weak in front of her peers.

The two of them stare off for several tense moments, as if trying to make the other to back down by sheer will, when in almost an instant, the two each flings another kunai, but this time Naruto aims at the target next to hers, and is slightly more off target compared to her.

Instead of being petulant or petty about it, as she almost expects based on how he was behaving, the blonde boy instead throws one more and earns an almost perfect bullseye. "Beat that," he challenges cockily.

She steps up to that challenge. And the one after that. And the next one after that one. Before she knows it, somehow she's rigorously competing with Naruto in projectile skills by throwing kunai after kunai and shuriken after shuriken, which they don't even need to worry about running out of since the other students keep giddily supplying them with constant ammunition as well as clearing the targets for them as the cheers for the dueling pair grows.

It's only after that things got loud enough to attract the instructors that the crowd is forced to clear and the two of them are lectured on the importance of safety and positive attitudes and she tunes it all out.

She doesn't understand what happened. She's a Hyuuga. The Hyuuga shouldn't get carried away like she did. What's worse is that there isn't even a clear winner. They had been too busy just blindly throwing projectiles between glaring at each other.

Hinata makes her way back to the classroom, silently seething about how things went, when suddenly a pair of girl classmates wave at her as they pass by.

"That was pretty cool, Hyuuga-san," one of them, a brunette whose name she doesn't remember, says with a smile.

"Yeah," the other one, a girl with short black hair, agrees. "_Super_ cool."

She watches them leave, still smiling as they do, and soon similar compliments start coming from some of the other students as well. She's suddenly _cool_ and _awesome_ instead of just _unfriendly_ and _jerk_, and she doesn't know how to feel about that. She waits around to find Naruto so that she can…_something_, but the boy doesn't show up for the rest of the day.

The next day, when she does see him again, he makes no move to speak to her and she begins to think things have settled back into the norm, only for him to start raising his hand deliberately before hers during lecture to answer questions from the Instructor, and gets it _wrong_ because Iwa is _not_ a big pile of rocks lying around somewhere around in a big farm buried in hot sauce and Kumo is _not_ a big, moving cloud that has goblins and ninjas in it and the Instructor informs as much. But the blonde boy just laughs it off as does a good portion of the class and she doesn't understand why he can just _not care_ about making a fool out of himself but she finds herself forcing down a snicker.

The same thing occurs later at the chakra molding/leaf medication group lecture, where Naruto openly challenges her to see who can meditate better, which he absolutely sucks at since he can barely stand still long enough before he gets the idea that they should instead compete in who can stick the most leaves on their heads.

So a pattern emerges in which Naruto begins challenging her at _everything_. From making bushin, to test scores, to taijutsu sparring, lunch eating contest, and racing, to name but a few. Oddly enough, some people still dismiss the notion that he is challenging her specifically since it is known that the boy does have the habit of randomly picking on the other students, mostly the Uchiha, to fill in the role of rival of the day. But she knows otherwise when the blonde buffoon barges in on the kunoichi portion of the class and challenges her to see who can make the best looking flower or something to that effect before Instructor Iruka showed up, apologized, and dragged him away by the cuff of his jacket as the boy loudly declared the unfairness of her victory by gender default.

Really, it's absolutely ridiculous and just…stupid.

So why is that when she tries to refocus on the task at hand of arranging the lilies around the yellow carnation, Haruno Sakura smiles in her direction and says, "You look happy, Hyuuga-san."

Next to the pink-haired girl, Ino cutely nods her agreement with sparkly eyes.

She doesn't reply, choosing to ignore the now quiet but completely unsubtle, teasing attention from all the other girls, female instructor included, and hides her face behind her sleeves.

_Time at the Academy had taken a turn for the young girl, where before she was content to be simply determined and diligent in her learning and training, and refusing all but the bare minimal interaction with others, suddenly found herself looking forward to each coming day of the Academy. Always wondering in what manner and what subject will the blonde boy issue another bout of competitions, how she'll respond the get the biggest rise out of him, and the best way to prepare in order to achieve victory, for despite how it seemed to most of the other students, the boy did actually outdo her on occasion, even in spars. The Hyuuga heiress's enthusiasm in her anticipation carried over to her normal routines, and was comparably much more spirited than she had been for a while, as happily noted by her mother, Kiyoko, who made no mention of the small giggles when the girl was reading over her history notes for an upcoming examination._

_But as all stories go, the fundamental rule of thumb for when things seem to be going right, is exactly the time for things to go wrong._


End file.
